Rakim Rocks Out With Linkin Park on ‘Guilty All the Same’

Hip-hop meets rock once again on Linkin Park's guitar-shredding new song 'Guilty All the Same,' which features the legendary God MC Rakim.

The tune is a far cry from the sounds of 'In the End,' Linkin Park's more mainstream-friendly 2000 ode. On this track, the rockers join forces with Rakim for a loud, raging number that centers on pointing the finger when it comes to blame.

If you've still stuck around after the seriously long intro -- more than a minute passes before lyrics are heard -- Rakim comes in on the latter half of the track. The rapper questions the path some take to get rich quick. "Can y'all explain what kind of land is this / When a man has plans of being rich / But the bosses plans is wealthy / There'll be a money scheme, a clean split / Nonsense the same, even confidence is filthy," he raps.

So how did Linkin Park and one of rap's greats team up? Member Mike Shinoda, who is also a rapper, looks to the 'Paid in Full' creator for inspiration.

“That’s like one of my idols,” Shinoda told KROQ. “If you get into the nitty-gritty of his rhyme pattern and the topic in this song, it’s bananas what he is doing. He’s on the some Steve Vai s--- vocally.” Vai was a member of lauded rocker Frank Zappa's band.

“It really is a highlight of the song,” said Linkin Park's Chester Bennington.